Day Gecko

Day Gecko

Care & Maintenance of:

Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis

Vivarium type: Arboreal and vertical. Plants such as Sansevaria or Corn plants are used for hiding amongst the foliage. Provide vertical and horizontal perches for basking. Bamboo cut to the width of your cage and wedged in is a popular basking site in all of our Phelsuma cages! Humidity should be 50 - 80%, maintained by misting twice a day to helpallow for an easy shed and provide drinking water! How many can I keep in one cage? It depends on the size of the cage. A 20 gallon tank on its side is adequate room to house a pair of adult P. m. grandis. If you can provide more room, the merrier your gecko will be! If aggression is apparent, immediately separate the pair. It just so happens that the pair is not compatible, this can happen. You can also house two females together but don't try to house two males. As for your young gecko, a ten gallon tank is sufficient to raise it in until it reaches reasonable size.

What do I feed it? A good rule of thumb is to look at the size of the head and not feed it anything larger than it. A juvenile gecko will feed on 2 week old crickets, small meal worms and wax worms. An adult gecko will feed on adult crickets, large meal worms, wax worms and flies. All geckoes love nectar. To supplement this sweet craving feed them fruit baby food such as; peach, banana or apricot. Add honey if possible and bee pollen when available. To supply your gecko with the proper vitamins and minerals, add calcium and Vitamin D3 and a mineral supplement (such as Herptivite) 3 times a week either by dusting the insect or mixing it directly into the fruit. Juveniles should be fed daily while adults should be fed every other or every third day, alternating food items.

Do I need a heat rock or heat tape? No. Geckoes rely on the sun in the wild to keep them warm. Therefore, you will need to provide heat by way of a basking light. Depending on the temperature in your room you may use a 25W bulb to 60W. The temperature by the light shouldn't be hotter than 95 degrees! This light should be directed toward a basking spot accessible to your gecko. ALSO, incandescent light should be provided. Use a fluorescent light or a Vita-light. This will help the gecko process vitamins and enhance color. It is also needed for the plants.